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Survey says games make a great date
- February 02, 2009 15:05 PM PST
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Tired of romantic movies and expensive dates? Spend this Valentine's Day with a game of love, instead.
Couples who play games together are probably familiar with the trials and tribulations of maintaining a relationship while allocating the same amount of time and attention to your second love of video games. The key to a lasting relationship may be as simple as spending quality time on an activity that couples can enjoy together--that is, with video games.
Among the games that couples play are: Wii Sports, Mario Kart, and Rock Band or Guitar Hero. The most common choice for lovers to play are games that involve teamwork, but when competition comes into play, women tend to play more aggressively than men, while a smaller percentage of men claim to let their date win. Author and relationship expert, Dr. Diana Kirschner states that:
Video gaming can be extremely beneficial for a couple's relationship because it promotes bonding and feeling close, helps refine a couples ability to problem solve together and, most importantly, encourages having fun and laughing with one another.
The online survey was conducted by Kelton Research for Game Crazy's Valentine's Day Survey.
The press release follows:
The Game of Love: Relationship Expert Says Couples that Play Together Stay Together
WILSONVILLE, Ore., Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- For many, Valentine's Day conjures up feelings of love, intermingled with anxiety over finding the right gift and planning the perfect night. This year, forget expensive candlelit dinners or romantic movies and consider video games. A new survey released by national video game retailer Game Crazy finds that nearly 80 percent of Americans would enjoy playing video games with their significant other. Whether playing to win or just partaking in friendly competition, all couples really need this Valentine's Day is a gaming console.
"Video gaming can be extremely beneficial for a couple's relationship because it promotes bonding and feeling close, helps refine a couples ability to problem solve together and, most importantly, encourages having fun and laughing with one another," said Dr. Diana Kirschner, relationship expert and author of Love in 90 Days. "As a matter of fact, it is my experience that the couples that play together stay together!"
An Unconventional Dating Game?
The biggest allure for 61 percent of Americans is that video gaming is something a couple can do together. Others see gaming together as a good way to work as a team (25%), while some just enjoy watching the faces their significant other makes while playing (20%). During times of economic uncertainty, couples also look to this seemingly unconventional dating activity as an inexpensive way to spend time together. In fact, 21 percent of respondents admit that gaming is appealing because it's a low-cost date option.
The Real Battle of the Sexes
While compromise is critical in relationships, all bets are off once the gaming begins. Nearly 70 percent of Americans admit that if they were playing a video game during a date, they'd rather win than let their date come out on top. Surprisingly, the fairer sex is more aggressive when it comes to playing to win - more than 80 percent of women compete to beat their date during a video game, compared to 56 percent of men. With 44 percent of men planning to let their date win, perhaps chivalry isn't dead after all.
Games Lovers Play
According to Game Crazy's Valentine's Day survey, the video games that Americans are most likely to play with their significant other include:
"Video gaming is an entertaining and unique way to spend quality time with the people you love," said Tanya Khamis, director of marketing at Game Crazy. "The passionate gaming experts at Game Crazy are prepared to help customers pick the perfect game for everyone, whether it's the first or fiftieth Valentine's Day they are spending with their significant other."
Source: Game Crazy
Although it may be true that couples who play together stay together, I've certainly had my share of arguments when it comes to playing a bit too competitively.
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- Feb 02 2009 at 03:25:19:PM PST
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As long as you don't play something stupid like The Guy Game or Lair, then yeah, games can be good for a date.
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As long as you don't play something stupid like The Guy Game or Lair, then yeah, games can be good for a date.
Wha? I thought chicks liked dragons?! If not, I'm going to have to have a bunch of tattoos removed.
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well shit. i wonder why we didn't stay together. maybe cause i was always shooting her in the face.
in CoD.
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I'm in the "I let her win" category... If I play agaisnt her like I play agaisnt my friends, or Online, then things could get ugly.
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Me and my wife play games but she is not into FPS or anything really modern. Her idea of fun is Mrs. pac-man , Bejeweled or any old school game. Other than that , I usually just play games by myself , in my game room.
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Yea, this is a lot of fun to do. My girlfriend and I love playing games together. We play together (in the same room) when we can, but we also play over XBL a lot as well. I'm not afraid to admit it but she can beat me in shooters like Halo 3 and COD (she is actually really good) but when it comes to sports games I have that category.
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AANTHUNDER wrote:
Me and my wife play games but she is not into FPS or anything really modern. Her idea of fun is Mrs. pac-man , Bejeweled or any old school game. Other than that , I usually just play games by myself , in my game room.
LOL dude you took my post almost word for word my girl is the same way. Why is it most females only like Pac-Man and Mario games. I tried to get her into Halo and she couldn't even walk strait in the game. I did buy her a DS and she loves that but only because most of the games I've bought her include Mario.
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I also find myself having to let my friends beat me in games too, because if I keep winning all the time they end up not liking that certain game anymore. Alot of you on here are "hardcore gamers" too, do any of you find it hard to find competition. I haven't lost a fight in Fight Nights 3 since I got the game and that's playing on hard, against friends, and even online at my friends house and the same goes for MK vs DC (great game by the way) and Street Fighter (haven't lost two rounds in a row in years).
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